Tune your Own

Skis & Boards

462 Hazeldean Road

Kanata, ON K2L 1V3

(613) 831-2059

680 Bank Street 1583 Bank Street

Ottawa, ON K1S 3T9 Ottawa, ON K1H 7Z3

(613) 233-4820 (613) 260-0696

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Tune your Own Skis and Boards

at Home

Peter Kunstadt

Kunstadt Sports

August 28, 2010.

Introduction

It is a known fact that only a well tuned ski or a snowboard can give the skier/rider the

ultimate satisfaction. A sharp edge gives the desired optimal reaction on hard snow

surfaces, and makes the ski/board smooth and responsive. A well prepared base is

receptive to waxes and makes the ski/board easy to control. Conversely, even the best,

most expensive, most advanced ski/board when out of tune, delivers a guaranteed

disappointment to the athlete. Only a tuned piece of equipment can perform the way its

designers intended it to perform.

Equipment required

• Work Bench. A good, solid work bench is certainly an

important initial piece of equipment. It needs to be solid,

so as to provide adequate support when dynamic pressure

is applied during the tuning process. It helps when the

height is optimal relative to the height of the tuner.

• Ski/Board Base. There are an almost infinite number of

various devices that will hold the ski/board in place. Some

will simply have an anti-friction flat surface, other attempt

to hold the ski/board by its sidewall and there is a group of devices that hold the

ski in place by the binding, using a simulated boot sole.

Kunstadt Sports designed a simple solid ski/board holder

using a welded steel frame and a simple anti-friction

support surface. It works well enough to be used by our

professional tuners. However, it is not recommended for

travel due to its substantial weight.

Tools Required

• Brake Retainers will hold ski brakes in “engaged”

position to allow unimpeded access to the base and

the edges. • File. What is required is a simple “fine mill bastard”

file, readily available in any respectable hardware

store. Professional ski shops carry specialized

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ski/board files that have similar geometry, but are made of more resilient, wear

resistant materials.

• Base Bevel Sleeves. Base level sleeves come in a variety of

thicknesses to accommodate various desired base bevel angles.

• File Guides. A file guide is the device that assists in

accomplishing the desired edge angle when side edge filing.

There is a considerable variety available on the market. They are

made to produce side angles from 86 to 90 degrees in 1 degree

increments. File guides are usually colour coded for easy recognition of the

specific angle they are made for.

• Diamond Stone is used to finish previously sharpened

edges to make them smoother and ultimately sharp. A

stone is also useful for edge touch-ups between full tune

ups.

• Scrapers. A sharp metal scraper is used to remove

excess material during base repair. It should never touch

a prepared base. Plastic scrapers are designed to remove excess waxes from the

base after hot wax application.

• Scouring Pad is a useful cleaning tool to be used prior to wax application as well

as a final polishing tool.

• Brushes. There is a variety of brushes used in a

ski/board tune up. To start with, there is the steel brush

that will open the

base’s pores and

remove all residual

waxes. A brass brush

will have a similar effect as the steel one, with

somewhat less harsh results. A nylon brush

will be used after waxing and wax scraping, in

order to restore “structure” in the base. A

horse hair brush will be used as a final base finishing device.

• Waxing Iron. There is nearly an infinite variety of waxing irons on the market.

Our experience points to Swix waxing irons

offering the best value for money. One important

feature is the ability of the waxing iron to adjust

operating temperatures to match manufacturer-

recommended wax melting temperatures for

various waxes.

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Supplies Required

• Degreasers are, predictably, used to chemically remove remnants of waxes (or to

“degrease”).

• P-Tex Candles are used to repair “macro” scratches in bases. P-Tex is made of

plastic materials similar to those of the bases. They are melted into the base in a

welding-like manner.

• Fine Sand Paper is sometimes used in the final base

preparation stages.

• Ski Wax. There is a dizzying variety of waxes on the

market. There are waxes for various temperature ranges,

various snow consistencies and snow humidity levels. There

is also a variety of chemical additives available that will give

the competitive skier/boarder the extra edge needed to shave

valuable split seconds off their run times.

Let’s Start Tuning!!

The following is the tuning process in twelve easy steps:

1. Lock Ski Brakes. This very first operation is the

obvious one: We need to get the binding brakes

out of the way by using simple rubber bands also

called “Brake Retainers”.

2. Clean and Degrease Base. It is desirable to

remove all remnants of the old waxes. The rough

old wax layers can be removed with a scraper. It

is preferable to use plastic scrapers instead of

metal ones as they are gentler and less prone to

damaging the base. The remaining wax can be

removed with a simple kitchen scouring pad or

alternatively, using a specialized fluid ski

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degreaser. The base must be completely dry prior to commencing the next step.

3. Repair Major Base Damage. Major scratches will be repaired by lighting a P-

Tex candle and dripping melting plastic into them. P-Tex tends to oxidize when

proper care is not taken. The candle should be lit using a propane torch or a

similar device rather than matches. When lit, it should be starved for oxygen by

holding the flame close to a metal scraper, not letting the flame turn red (keep it

blue if at all possible). As soon as the candle starts dripping, it is ready to be

applied to the ski base. Again, it is important to keep the flame small and blue,

holding the candle close to the base to starve it for oxygen. Let P-Tex drip until

holes and scratches are filled. As soon as the P-Tex cools down to ambient

temperature, it is

ready to be scraped flat. This is the only application where we recommend the

use of a steel scraper to remove all excess plastic. This whole procedure can be

repeated until the desired effect is achieved.

4. Steel Brush Base. Steel brushing re-opens pores in the base and restores base

structure. A steel brush is harsh and must be used with utmost care in order not to

inflict damage on the base. This is one of the tasks that should be first practiced

on an old pair of skis or an old snowboard to develop the right feel. Move the

brush in straight motions along the base, always in the front-to-rear direction.

5. Flat File Edges. Place the ski/board on the vise in a base-up position and apply

file, making sure both edges are being filed simultaneously. This will assure that

both edges are filed flatly and equally. Make sure edges are filed sufficiently to

be flush with the base to avoid

“railing”. Railing usually occurs

after bases are belt ground. The

process of base grinding generates

considerable heat. Base and edges

are ground flush, but due to the

difference in coefficients of

expansion between steel edges and

plastic bases, the base material shrinks more than the metal edges, causing the

edges to be higher than the base after cooling to ambient temperature. This

results in skis/boards that are extremely difficult to turn. A thorough flat filing

will take care of this phenomenon completely by getting the edges flush with the

base.

6. Base Bevel Edges. In order to avoid edges

“gripping” and to facilitate smooth turn initiation,

some base bevel is often desirable. Depending on

personal preference and type of application (e.g.

slalom, vs. GS, vs. SG etc.), base bevel angles

vary from 0.25 degrees to 1.00 degree. There are

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various devices that can be used to achieve the desired base bevel, the simplest of

them being a set of “sleeves” of various thicknesses that are placed on the back

side of the file. It is recommended to experiment with smaller base bevel angles

at first, increasing incrementally as it is difficult to re-sharpen a base bevel from a

larger to a smaller angle.

7. Sharpen Edges. Placing the ski/board in an edge-up position, holding the file

perpendicular to the base at all times, file the edges moving the file forward (only)

along the edge ever so carefully. This is indeed an acquired skill. It is highly

recommended to practice on an old ski/board as any slight deviation from

perpendicularity can result in an irreparable damage to the edge. There is a

variety of guides on the market that will make this operation safer. The additional

advantage is that these guides are manufactured with various pre-set edge angles

to match the user’s preferences. The guides are usually available in 1 degree

increments, from 86 to 90 degrees.

8. Deburr and Polish Edges. Diamond stone is the most suitable tool to use to

polish the sharpened edges and to remove the

minute marks left behind by the file. This is the

ultimate finishing operation in terms of edge

preparation. Since no significant amount of

metal is removed during this procedure, it is

basically not necessary to use guides here.

However, there are numerous ski/board tuners

out there who insist on using guides at all times.

Diamond stones come in various grits, in

increments from coarse to fine.

9. Apply Wax. a. Choose wax that is appropriate for snow conditions. More detail on

selecting a wax will be discussed under “Wax Selection”.

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b. Pre-heat iron. Waxing iron will be pre-heated to the temperature

appropriate for the wax being applied. These temperatures vary based on

the hardness and chemical composition of the specific wax. The

recommended temperatures are normally specified and clearly marked on

wax packaging.

c. Drip-on wax by melting it on the bottom of the pre-heated iron over the

base. Try to distribute wax evenly over the length and width of the base.

d. Iron-in wax using smooth motion from tip to heel of the ski/board. Allow

ski/board to cool down to ambient temperature.

10. Scrape Base. At this point, it is timely to point out that only the wax that has

penetrated into the base material is useful in terms of making the base slide on

snow. Base material is chemically similar to paraffin, the main ingredient in solid

waxes. Since during the iron application, the wax’s molecules became embedded

in the base material, all visible wax can now be removed. This is done by using

sharp plastic scrapers. No metal scrapers should be used, as they are prone to

damaging the base. At this time, all wax is to be removed from the sides of the

edges as well as the side wall.

11. Brush and Polish Base. The use of a nylon brush after wax scraping will restore

the base’s structure and give the base the lowest

possible friction on snow which will translate into

the highest possible on-snow speed. Under some

conditions, it is preferable to have a highly

polished surface (when snow is porous). This is

achieved by using a horse-hair brush or fine

scouring pad as the last finishing operation.

Always move the brush in straight motions along

the base and always in the front-to-rear direction.

12. Protect your Skis. A lot of damage to skis takes

place during storage and transportation. A pair of

simple Velcro straps will separate ski bases from

each other while tying them firmly together. These

straps shall be applied on the top and bottom of the

skis, exactly where the skis contact each other.

Damage from improper ski storage results in

transversal scratches which are more detrimental

that the longitudinal ones acquired by accidentally

skiing over abrasive objects.

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Your skis/boards are now freshly tuned and you are ready to go out and enjoy the great

outdoors!!

Factors Influencing Waxing

Ski wax manufacturers employ armies of chemists whose only goal in life is to create

substances and application methods that will cause ski/board bases to have the lowest

possible coefficient of friction on snow. If you ever have an opportunity to visit a waxing

room around a major race, you will be reminded of an experimental chemistry lab

combined with a sophisticated workshop, all in the effort to shed the extra split second

during the race and to gain the last bit of extra speed.

• Temperature. Waxes are marked on their packaging with their appropriate

application temperatures. Some specify air temperature; others on the other

hand, snow temperature. When not

specified, it is assumed the

temperatures indicated are air

temperatures.

• Humidity. It is important to know

the approximate ambient humidity

because friction on snow is the

product of thin water film between

the snow and the base. Wax

application tables roughly

differentiate between “High” and

“Low” humidity when

recommending a wax.

• Snow Granulation. What we

perceive as “Snow” is a composite of

ice crystals of various shapes,

hardnesses and humidity. In low

temperatures, the sharp snow crystals require a wax that will resist snow crystal

penetration. At warmer temperatures, the wax must also have the ability to repel

water.

• Snow Friction. The friction on snow is characterized as “Mixed Friction”,

meaning that it is a combination of dry and wet friction. At very low

temperatures, the frictional mechanisms are mostly governed by laws of dry

friction. At intermediate temperatures of -4o

C - -10o

C, the water film between

snow and base has the optimal thickness to create the lowest kinetic friction.

Wax Selection

• Hydrocarbon Waxes. This category of waxes contains mostly high performance

hydrocarbon parrafins. They are the most economical group of waxes. In fact,

the colder types of waxes perform quite impressively in competition. Waxes are

generally colour coded, specific colours corresponding to specific temperature

ranges. Temperature ranges cover the whole gambit from -32o

C to +10o

C. Refer

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to manufacturer-provided tables to choose the appropriate wax colour and

temperature range.

• Low Fluorocarbon Waxes. These are fluorinated hydrocarbon waxes having a

lower percentage of low melt-point flouro additives. They are generally used as

training waxes by racers. These waxes are considerably more expensive than the

hydrocarbon types. Colour codes relate to specific temperature ranges in the

same manner as is the case with the hydrocarbon ones.

• High Fluorocarbon Waxes. These are the top-of-the-line waxes, usually also

priced accordingly. Waxes in this category are fluorinated hydrocarbon blends

having a high percentage of low-melt point fluorocarbon additives. These waxes

provide uniquely fast acceleration, are durable and dirt resistant. These waxes are

often used as a thin over layer on top of less costly ones. Conditions of high

humidity are optimal for high fluorocarbon waxes.

• Base Preparation and Travel Wax. This blend of hydrocarbon waxes was

originally requested by World Cup technicians for use during initial base

preparation and travel waxing. It is also ideal for summer application in order to

protect bases from drying or oxidizing as well as to protect edges against

corrosion.

• Graphite Additives. Graphite additives are appropriate during conditions of low

humidity and dirty snow. They are usually mixed with low fluorocarbon waxes,

but can also be used alone.

Summary

There are as many ski/board tuning methods as there are ski/board technicians.

Consequently, there are an immense number of variations of procedure details that are

proprietary to individual technicians, hardware, and wax and equipment manufacturers.

This paper attempts to give a general introduction to manual “at home” ski/board tuning.

It does not presume to be the final word in ski/board service. It hopes, however, to be a

collection of general recommendations that may assist the average skier/rider to start

servicing their own equipment. Nevertheless, it is highly recommended that periodically,

skis/boards be professionally tuned using stone grinding machines that will restore base

structures and sharpen edges to a precise geometry.